Ocasek's wife says he died while recuperating from surgery

FILE - In this Feb. 6, 2015, file photo, Ric Ocasek of the Cars arrives at the MusiCares Person of the Year event at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles. Ocasek, famed frontman for The Cars rock band, has been found dead in a New York City apartment. The New York City police department said officers responding to a 911 call found the 75-year-old Ocasek on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

The Associated Press
Published Monday, September 16, 2019 5:41PM EDT

NEW YORK - The New York City medical examiner says Ric Ocasek, the 75-year-old frontman for The Cars, died of heart disease, worsened by emphysema.

Ocasek's wife, model and actress Paulina Porizkova, posted a statement on Instagram , saying he was "recuperating very well after surgery" and that their two sons were making sure he was comfortable. Porizkova did not say what type of surgery Ocasek was recovering from.

She says she went to bring him his Sunday morning coffee and "realized that during the night he had peacefully passed on."

The Cars chart-topping hits in the late 1970s and 1980s included "Just What I Needed," "Shake It Up" and "Drive." The band was inducted last year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.